[Third Person's PoV]
Lucian lounged in the back of the limo, slouching into the luxurious leather seat, his back half-sunken into the cushions as he held his phone above his face, scrolling absently. The interior hummed softly with the motion of the car.
Beside him, Nico bounced enthusiastically on the seat, unable to contain his excitement. Across from them, Bianca sat with her arms crossed, while Thalia relaxed at her side, watching Lucian with a look of amused curiosity.
Lucian noticed. "What?" he growled, lowering his phone slightly and narrowing his crimson eyes at her.
Bianca absent-mindedly looking out the window, while Thalia briefly smiled. "Nothing," she said with a grin, "Just reminiscing about the tantrum you threw this morning. It was... definitely something."
"It wasn't that bad…" Lucian muttered, pouting as he turned his head away with exaggerated drama.
Both Bianca and Nico gave him deadpan stares, their unimpressed expressions synchronized.
---
[Flashback – That Morning]
"I'M GOING TO KILL MYSELF!!!" Lucian screamed as he shoved the barrel of a handgun into his mouth. "I SWEAR TO THE GODS I'LL DIE BEFORE I SET FOOT IN A SCHOOL!" His voice was muffled by the metal, tears streaming freely down his pale cheeks.
"Lucian, you absolute dumbass!!" Thalia and Bianca shouted in unison as they lunged for his arm, trying yanking the weapon away and struggling.
"I MEAN IT! I'M GOING TO DO IT!" Lucian roared, struggling as though the very idea of academia was a death sentence.
---
[Flashback End]
---
"…"
Lucian folded his arms and huffed. "Okay, fine. Maybe I overreacted a little. But if I were really being dramatic, I would've pulled the damn trigger."
He glanced toward Thalia with a smirk. "The only silver lining in this whole nightmare is that you're faking your age and pretending to be fifteen. Watching you suffer like that? Honestly, it gave me a reason to get out of bed."
Thalia gave him a blank look just as the limo rolled to a slow stop in front of an imposing building. It was a sprawling campus—a prestigious boarding school that housed every grade level from elementary to high school. Even Thalia was enrolled, thanks to the peculiar arrangements they'd made.
Through the tinted windows, they could see dozens of students moving about—children and teenagers of varying ages and ethnicities, chattering, laughing, or rushing to class. A few paused, turning curious eyes toward the sleek black limo.
Lucian opened the door and stepped out with calculated calm, slinging his bag over his shoulder with an effortless grace. To some of the girls nearby—those his age or slightly older—his emergence felt like something out of a soap opera.
His look certainly helped. His dark hair, though tousled, was slicked back with a rebellious elegance. His piercing red eyes gave off a strange, alluring edge, and his porcelain skin made him look almost ethereal. The high cheekbones, the sharp jawline—everything about him screamed someone of importance, of mystery.
Turning back, Lucian extended a hand into the limo.
Thalia accepted it, stepping out beside him as a few younger boys turned to gawk, eyes following her as she adjusted her uniform.
Bianca emerged next, followed by Nico. She eyed Lucian with mock offense.
"Oh, I see. No hand for me?" she said, arching a brow.
"I was really hoping you'd trip," Lucian replied without missing a beat, glancing over his shoulder with a crooked grin. "Would've been hilarious to watch you faceplant on your first day."
"I should've helped you pull that damn trigger," Bianca muttered darkly, slamming the door shut.
Lucian snickered, joined by Nico, who giggled uncontrollably beside him. Meanwhile, Thalia had already stepped forward toward another girl being dropped off just ahead—a girl who was currently waving goodbye to her father with a strained, tight-lipped smile.
Annabeth.
Thalia strolled over and offered a casual nod. "I take it things are going well with your dad, since Lucian hasn't had to kidnap you yet?"
Annabeth shrugged. "It's… alright, I guess. Lucian visits most nights, so that makes it bearable. And… I can tell my dad's trying. So I figure I should at least try too."
Thalia raised her brows, impressed. "Wow. That's surprisingly mature of you."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "What do you take me for? I am mature. I'm a growing woman, thank you very much."
Thalia smirked. "Sure. A growing psycho who only has Lucian on her mind."
"Not just my mind," Annabeth said with a dreamy smile, "but my heart and soul too~"
Without warning, she dashed toward Lucian and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
Thalia sighed and facepalmed before following the others toward the main building with the crowd of students pouring in from every direction. Lucian, holding Nico's small hand, walked him toward the elementary section of the boarding school.
"You got it?" Lucian asked as they finished getting his class schedule, kneeling beside him with a rare softness.
Nico nodded enthusiastically, clutching his paper schedule in both hands. "I'll be fine! This is going to be awesome!"
Lucian ruffled his hair affectionately. "Alright, go get 'em, tiger. But if anyone messes with you, just scream my name dramatically and I'll be there in five seconds flat. Get a punch in or two, just make sure not to kill them"
"I'll hold you to that!" Nico grinned, running off to join a small group of kids standing near their classroom entrance.
Meanwhile, Thalia wandered alone through the high school wing, her expression a mix of mild boredom and intrigue. She glanced around at the brightly colored bulletin boards and the overly enthusiastic posters about school spirit. As much as she pretended not to care, part of her was curious about the normal high school experience she never got to have. She figured she might as well try it once.
Back in the middle school wing, Lucian, Annabeth, and Bianca exited the main office, each holding a copy of their class schedule.
"Yes!!" Annabeth squealed, punching the air. "We're all in the same homeroom!"
She turned to Lucian and batted her lashes dramatically. "It must be fate~"
Lucian raised a brow. "Maybe"
Bianca chuckled beside them. "At least it won't be so bad. I do feel kind of bad for Thalia, though. She's going to be on her own. But I'm not too worried about Nico—he makes friends faster than anyone I know."
They made their way down the crowded hallway, dodging students of all ages and backgrounds. Several heads turned as they passed, some people whispering, others openly staring. Whether it was Lucian's striking appearance, Annabeth's confidence, or Bianca's elegance, they were attracting attention without even trying.
Annabeth leaned in toward the others and whispered, "Do you think we should've made Thalia our age too? That way she could've been in our class."
Lucian shrugged. "One, it's a little late for that now. And two, Thalia needs to socialize with people her own age for once. She's always been stuck in weird age gaps with us."
Lucian gave her a small smile. "Of course not to mention It's just a few hours. I'm sure she can take being away from us for that short time."
As they stopped outside their homeroom, a woman with ginger hair tied in a tight bun and sleek glasses stood at the door, welcoming her new students with a practiced smile.
"Good morning—oh," her eyes narrowed slightly at Lucian. "School policy: No overt accessories, meaning no colored contact lenses. We expect natural eye colors only."
Lucian blinked, confused. "Color—? I'm not wearing contacts. These are my natural eyes."
She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do you have a doctor's note to confirm that?"
Lucian turned toward Annabeth in disbelief. "Did this bitch just ask me for a doctor's note because my eyes are the color red?"
"Language!" the teacher snapped, aghast at his tone.
"Language is what you're going to have trouble speaking if you keep acting stu—HMM!" Bianca suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth, her expression one of exhausted horror.
"I'm terribly sorry for my brother's behavior," she said smoothly, smiling at the teacher. "He's…mentally challenged. It's just how he was born. A true tragedy, really. But he tries his best. Bless his poor, tortured soul."
Lucian's eyes went wide with disbelief, muffled noises escaping as he stared at her like she had completely lost her mind.
Annabeth, meanwhile, was leaning against the doorframe, stifling her laughter as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
"This is already turning out to be the best first day ever," she wheezed, holding her stomach.
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